Rioting!

By Jins Buragas

Let see from other perspective of the event that happened recently in Terengganu (Saturday, 8 September 2007) as reported by our mainstream media.

The opposition political parties’ members rioted. A few detained. A few injured. Police came in and FRU came in.

Blamed no one else but opposition parties’ members and their supporters.

They rioted because they wanted to hear their political leaders talk. But the talk couldn’t be heard because it didn’t take place. The authority didn’t allow it.

They (authorities) didn’t issue the permit. If there is no permit to talk in public for public, talk is disallowed. If one persists, one is breaking the law. Acting or doing a tiniest fault could be construed as illegal, petty offences can be made out to become criminal offences. It doesn’t sound real. But it had happened. One can be framed in so many ways.

Why doesn’t the authority issue permit? Because they are opposition to the government- opposition is not worth a dime in Malaysia politics, see how many awarded Datuks from opposition politicians, and compare this with United Kingdom.

But opposition political parties or supporters do pay and contribute to the well being of the nation. They are all paying taxes, rates, permits, licenses, road taxes all sort of levies, name it. No different from ruling political parties supporters.

Anything from opposition must mean against the government. It’s simply the enemy of the government-who is the government by the way?I would say, the people surely are.

But the ever puzzling statement as always all riot starts by members of opposition political parties. The impression we got is people from opposition are bunch of lunatic, mad, warmongers, idiot and riot enticers- which simply means, less human than people who are supporting the Government. But why do the opposition political party members want riot? I failed to see the logic of the argument.

Let test! Let the opposition members have parade on their own, talk, kenduri and whatever. See if they create trouble as claimed by the authority. Why do police, FRU, Government officers, political leaders alike have to be there watching the lunatic, its wasting public money-my money too used to watching these lunatic?

We are living in the authoritarian era, no doubt about it. Don’t feel strange or bad about reading history on authoritarianism, barbarism, apartheidsnism, nepotism and corruptionism.We experienced in some forms or the other already.

So word democracy is a fanciful word indeed, of course others practice much worst than us like some countries in Africa, and there are those less authoritarian than us, like Western developed countries. But our leaders don’t normally compare our country like with like, instead, they prone to say, as in one RTM talk show a few months ago that Malaysia media has far greater freedom than those in Burma, Vietnam, Laos or Singapore alike. What is this?

Nowadays after 50 years of brain bashing by our greedy and meekly leaders any sensible thinking person finds it difficult to swallow the whole truth.